Danilov

What to see?

The charm of the Russian province at the crossroads of two roads — railway and automobile.

Danilov is a city at the crossroads of roads. The MV Moscow-Kholmogory federal highway from Moscow to Vologda and local highways pass through it, the Trans-Siberian Railway and railway tracks from the center of Russia to the north and Far East of our Homeland converge in it.

The fate of three famous personalities from theatrical and film art is connected with little Danilov: the famous director of the Taganka Theater Yuri Lyubimov, the actress and head of the Moscow Art Theater named after him. Gorky Tatiana Doronina and actor Alexei Smirnov (he played the car mechanic Makarych from the movie "Some old men go into battle", the parasite Fedya from Leonid Gaidai's comedy "The Adventures of Shurik", etc.). You have the opportunity to see the houses where these wonderful people spent their childhood.

Should an inquisitive tourist get off the highway and explore this city? Definitely worth it!

Peter I stopped at the tsar's village of Danilovsky more than once on his way from Moscow to Arkhangelsk. The tsar entered the wooden church, found it in a shabby and untidy state and denounced the local clergy. Soon, a new stone cathedral of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was laid, which opened for worship in 1713. In a letter, the Danilovites informed the emperor about this event and sent him a silver chess set made by local craftsmen as a gift. So there was a version about the origin of the chessboard on the city coat of arms.

Today, the Chess Alley, which is located in the center of Danilov, reminds of this story. There are two-meter chess pieces on it, which embody the images of local residents of the 19th century. On each of the figures there is a number that refers to a specific letter of the alphabet. By solving this chess puzzle, you can find out the encrypted word.

What you definitely need to do in Danilov:

  • If you arrived by train, appreciate the building of the railway station, an architectural monument built in 1930 in the style of constructivism. And next to it, find a water tower and wooden houses of pre-revolutionary construction with a clear imitation of Gothic.
  • Take a walk through the historical center, where shopping malls and merchant houses of the XIX – early XX centuries have been preserved, where temples are being revived and a Summer Garden is green, feel the atmosphere of a quiet patriarchal town.
  • Visit the active Kazan Convent in the town of Gorushka, founded in the 1890s with the blessing of John of Kronstadt. Explore the city and its surroundings from the viewing platform under the dome of the Kazan Cathedral.
  • Take a walk along the Danilovsky Promenade, the largest pedestrian zone in the Yaroslavl Region. Take a look at the old merchant's Garden, the Summer Garden.
  • Enjoy local cakes and gingerbread, cheese and butter.
  • Take away the local gastronomy brands with you — a special red Danilovsky onion, fragrant gingerbread or products of the Danilovsky butter factory (cheeses, butter and delicious Danilovsky ice cream).

Danilov's Museums:

  • The Danilovsky P.K. Sharapov Museum of Local Lore includes several exhibition halls on the nature, history, and culture of Danilov. Here you will learn about the famous natives of the city, and why Danilov was called "little Tula" at the end of the 19th century.
  • The exhibition halls of the Danilovskaya Art Gallery introduce modern fine art of various types, styles and trends. In the periodically updated exhibitions, viewers have the opportunity to get acquainted with the works of artists from Danilov, Yaroslavl, Uglich, Vologda, Kostroma, Moscow and other regions of Russia.
  • Sereda's workshop. This is a creative space featuring paintings by local artist Vladimir Sereda, an etching machine, and many interesting things that are necessary for the creative process. Here you will find an author's tour and interesting master classes.

scenic places

what other cities to visit?

Each city is an amazing story:
«whatever a city, it's a city with a burrow». This proverb vividly reflects the authentic character of the «pearls» of Yaroslavia. And together they are like treasures in a box, which one wants to go through and admire endlessly. Nowhere in Russia is there such a constellation of closely juxtaposed protected and historical towns.
The main attraction of the Yaroslavl region is a constellation of 12 ancient cities: Yaroslavl, Gavrilov-Yam, Danilov, Lyubim, Myshkin, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Poshekhonye, Rostov the Great, Rybinsk, Tutaev, Uglich and the flooded Mologa. Each of them has its own unique appearance and atmosphere.